December 30, 1993: Home to Michigan

Yesterday, we just relaxed and watched 'Young and the Restless'.   We packed our bags and took a walk around the park. 

Today was our last day in Florida.  We took a cab to the airport.  It was hard to say goodbye to Grandma.  I always had so much fun with her.     We got back safely to Grand Rapids.  Charlene picked us up.     When we got back to Muskegon, I picked up my schedule at Plumbs. Helen Coyne said everyone missed me.   I sure did work with some nice people at Plumbs, but I didn't like the job duties.  Went over Sue's house to play with all of Ashley's Christmas presents.

December 28, 1993: Busch Gardens

Went to Busch Gardens with mom, Grandma, and her friend, Edna.  Went on a river raft ride and two log rides and got wet.   Saw alligators, gorillas, giraffs, camels, elephants, birds, monkeys, and zebras.    Listened to Congo type music.   Learned that crocodiles and alligators are born in 2 months.   The sex is determined by the temperature.   The mother hatches eggs and then covers them with leaves, dirt, etc and then sucks up water and puts it over them.  This decomposes and heats up the eggs.   Eggs that are heated from 86 degrees or higher become male and below 86 degrees become female.   Up to 50 eggs are hatched and only 1 percent survive.    The reason so little survive is that some are eaten by other animals.  Saw an animal nursery.  Mom bought a Moroccan purse.   I bought a t-shirt.  Ate corned beef sandwiches and German potato salad and watched a Christmas program.  Today was so warm and gorgeous.   I found out later that today Busch Gardens set an all time record in attendance.  Just think, I was a part of that history.

December 27, 1993: Relaxing at Grandma's

Today's temperature was 73 degrees. In Michigan, it was about 12 degrees.  Took a walk with mom through the trailer park.  Saw the golf course and club house.   Hung clothes on the line outside.   Helped Grandma bag leaves.  Watched the 'Young and the Restless'.    Victor kissed Hope.    Watched 'Oprah Winfrey' and they said to teach your kids to never speak to strangers regardless of how friendly they are.  Also, be sure to tell kids what to look for and listen for such things as assistance with finding a pet, etc., mom's in a car accident, etc.   Always be watching kids.   Also, older people should be on the lookout for themselves.   Anyone you don't know who asks for assistance, offers money to you in any way or tells you your car was stolen is someone to stay away from.   Stay away from strangers asking for assistance.  Ate pizza at an Italian restaurant.  Went to K-mart and watched TV.

December 26, 1993: MGM Studios

Mom and I went to MGM studios.  We went on the production backstage tour. They use small boats or props when they film a boat scene in a movie.    They often use 100 hours of footage before editing for a 2 hour movie.   Saw the stage being constructed for Dick Clark's Rockin' Eve 1994.   Saw 'Golden Girls' and 'Empty Next' houses they used. Saw the Indiana Jones backstage.   Watched some people picked out of the audience do some segments from 'I Love Lucy', 'Home Improvement', 'David Letterman', 'Johnny Carson', 'Golden Girls', 'Bonanza', 'Gilligan's Island', 'Cheers', and 'General Hospital'.    The people were so funny. I wish I could've done that, but there were too many people to pick from.   Went on a Star Wars spaceship ride.   Ate dinner at the Hollywood Brown Derby.   This restaurant was like the one in California in which stars from the 1930s and 1940s dined such as Bette Davis and Lucille Ball.   Booth #5 was where a segment of the 'I Love Lucy' show was taped in the episode where Lucy saw a Hollywood star.   Saw the set of 'Honey I Shrunk the Kids'.    The grass was huge and so were the legos.

December 25, 1993: Christmas Day in Florida

We all opened our presents.  Gonyos called and I got to talk to all of my cousins.  I called Sue Arnouts and found out all about Ashley's gifts.  Of course, I had to brag about the warm temperatures in Florida.   Ate with Grandma, Hoagie, Millie, and my Mom at Johns Restaurant.  This was supposed to be the nicest restaurant in Zephyrhills. I can't say it was that fancy or anything.  The whole place was flooded with old people.  I swear I was the youngest person by fifty years in that place.   We took some of our food home.    When Cindy Chancellor from work saw my picture of us outside Johns with our containers, she said "Did you bring some food down there from the deli?"  I thought that was so funny.   

Visited Grandma's friend, Mrs. Church, at Palm View Gardens.  Church's lived in Grandma's old trailer. 

December 24, 1993: Florida

Watched Regis and Kathie Lee.  Saw Kathie's baby, Cassandra, for the first time on the show.   Went to the bank, grocery store, and ate at Wendy's.   Watched the "Young and the Restless".   Grandma let me open my first present.  It was a word find book. I used it alot while I was in Florida.    Aunt Marianne Gonyo sent my mom two boxes of candy made in California.   Mom and I organized Grandma's cluttered cupboards.   We finally got her to get rid of some things.  Grandma Thomas called us in Florida.  The Thomas Christmas party went well.   In Muskegon, they got 8 inches of snow.  They said it was extremely cold.  The storm started the day after we left.  It was so nice to hear from everyone.

December 23, 1993: Cypress Gardens

Went to Cypress Gardens with Grandma and Mom.  Mom drove Grandma's car.   A semi almost hit us on the busy I-4 highway.  Watched a ski show, took a boat ride through jungle, and went into this greenhouse full of butterflies flying all around us.  It was so neat.    It was like we were in some real jungle.    Looked at all of the beautiful flowers.  Ate lunch and birds were bugging us around our table. Another couple sat down and were swamped birds.  We saw the most gorgeous poinsettia display.  They were displayed in shapes of Christmas trees around water.  When I showed my pictures of Cypress Gardens to Cindy Chancellor at Plumbs, she said they must have a lot of weeding to do.  She loved my pictures of the flowers.   Anyway, Grandma's steering wheel locked and we had trouble getting it unlocked.  Finally, a man told us what to do and we were on our way.

December 22, 1993: Epcot Center

Ate with Grandma, Mom, and Grandma's neighbor, Vera (from Canada) at "The Kettle".    Went on our Grayline tour to Epcot Center.  Signs on the road on the Disney property were purple with red letters.  It was so neat looking.  Saw all of the different countries that were represented.   Mexico's was cute and so was Canada's.    Had a delicious dessert in France.   Looked at the giant 'golf ball' that was a symbol of Epcot Center.   Spike and Edna (Grandma's friends) and Grandma picked us up after Grayline dropped us off at the Budgetel Hotel across from the Florida State Fair.

December 21, 1993: Big Top Flea Market and Dade City

Grandma took us to the Big Top Flea Market and to the University of Southern Florida mall.  My favorite store there was Burdines of Florida.  When we got home, Uncle George called to talk to everyone.  The weather down here was gorgeous.   Back home, a snow storm had just begun.   Grandma and I watched our favorite soap opera, "Young and the Restless.".   At night, Grandma took us into Dade City to see Church street.  On this street, there were Christmas lights and singing from church to church. It was beautiful.   We also visited the hospital that Grandpa went to when he died.   In the front of the hospital, there were Christmas trees decorated for each state.  Each state was decorated with things they were known for.  When we got home, we watched "Roseanne.".  

Decemer 20, 1993: Florida

Charlene drove my mom and I to the Kent County airport for our flight to Tampa, Florida.    We flew Northwest to Detroit and then into Tampa.   Our flight in Grand Rapids was delayed 45 minutes due to mechanical problems. When we got to Detroit, we had 5 minutes in order to catch our next flight to Tampa.  We've never run so fast, so far, in our entire lives.   We made it just in time.   We sat in the last row in the plane boy and was it noisy.   We arrived in Tampa at 11:20 a.m.   Grandma Gonyo and her friends, Hoagie and Millie Hogan, were there at the gate to greet us.  The airport here was so gorgeous.  Hoagie drove Grandma's car to Zephyrhills.  We all had a bite to eat at Hardees.  Grandma's trailer was in Betmar Park at 5244 Betmar Drive.   It was really big.  The living room was twice the size of ours at home. The main reason that we visited here at Christmas was that Grandpa Gonyo had passed away on November 11th and we thought that we should be with Grandma during the Christmas holiday. 

December 7, 1993: Jesse Kuhn

I swear I must have been crazy about every guy who work at the Plumb's grocery store that was my age.   When I look back, I think it was so funny.  Anyway,  I liked Jesse Kuhn.     I met Jesse at Russ's for lunch.    He was born in Chicago.  He was about 6'5.   He said his dad could've got a job in the Somoa Islands, but decided on a job in Muskegon.   He was surprised at all of the places I had traveled to.    He went to Catholic Central with Bill Daugherty.     He drove a 1988 Beretta with 90,000 miles on it.   

Tim Allen, an actor on the show "Home Improvement", used to come to Muskegon to visit his brother. I had found out that Tim Allen came to our Plumbs store one time.    Yes, I was in love with Tim Allen, too.     Jesse didn't know that Tim Allen had come to our store.    

December 3, 1993: Chicago Shopping Trip

It has been a tradition of my mom and I to go on a one day shopping trip to Chicago around Christmas.   This year, we took the trip through West Shore Travelers to Chicago.    We had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe.   We visited Chicago Place, which was a new shopping center that opened in September.   We loved shopping at Petite Sophisticates.        

November 23, 1993: Michigan State

I went to visit Sue Arnouts at Michigan State University. She lived in Akers Hall.   We went down to visit Chad Lawver who was living in the same hall, but in Room 117.   It was nice to chat with him and meet his roommate.

Ashley was crawling all over. She was so cute.  

November 11, 1993: In Memory of Grandpa Gonyo

Just before I had to go to work in the deli, my mom let me know that Grandpa Gonyo had died this morning down in Zephyrhills, FL.    Grandpa was having a hard time breathing, so Grandma was driving him to the hospital, when he slumped over in the car after having a heart attack.    They had just arrived in Florida the week before for the winter.   

I will always remember Grandpa Gonyo as a big card player at the cabin.  He loved to play solitaire.  He also loved to watch football on Sundays.      He used to own Gonyo's Radiator Service in Muskegon Heights, but sold it to Bill Monroe.     I remember one time I had made him a handmade pill chart as he needed a schedule. Grandma said he enjoyed checking off the boxes each day.      I tried to do small things for both of them to help them out. He was my first grandparent to pass away, so it was hard on me.     We decided we would go to Florida at Christmas to be with Grandma.

November 1, 1993: Stitches in Finger

I was called into work at the Plumbs bakery as one of our bakers, Kathy, who died last week of a heart attack at the age of 26, had a funeral which everyone from work was attending.    After I was at work 10 minutes, I accidently cut my left middle finger.   Helen Coyne called our assistant manager, Chris Hickman, who had the cashier, Penny, take me to the Hackley Professional Building for treatment.   I got 2 shots in my finger and 3 stitches.    I also had to get a tetanus shot.     

When I got home, I passed out Halloween candy to the trick-or-treaters.     Denise, Nathan, and Damian Goven came over to go trick-or-treating in our neighborhood.  I used to babysit Nathan and Damian.   

All of the other neighbor kids came over for candy, such as Joey, Jeff, and Kelli Ruthkowski, Kim Daugherty, and Stefani Balcom.  Bill Daugherty walked out on his job at Plumbs and got a new job at the Hearthstone.     

September 22, 1993: Michael Damian's Appearance

I stood in line at Musicland in Woodland Mall in order to meet Michael Damian, who played Danny Romalotti on the "Young and the Restless".  He also was a singer in real life.    Sunny FM sponsored this event, so Eric Anderson was there.   I got my CD signed by Michael and a picture taken next to him.  .

September 5, 1993: Grand Haven

Mom and I went to Grand Haven to see the ship, Nina, that was a remake of the ship Christopher Columbus took to the new world.    As we parked the car, we saw Eric Anderon hosting for 104.5 Sunny FM at the Grand Haven Beach.   

At 7 p.m., I met the Lawvers in the Kmart parking lot and we had dinner at Pizza Hut in Grand Haven.    I drove Jase and Adam back to their campsite at Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park which was between Grand Haven and Holland.   Skip said that Chad might go to Eastern Michigan University starting the 2nd semester as he felt Michigan State was a waste of money. 

September 1993: Muskegon Community College

Many of my friends from high school decided to go away to a four year university.   My mom made a deal with me that if I went to Muskegon Community College for 2 years and paid for it, then she would pay the last 2 years at Western Michigan University.  I decided it was a deal I couldn't pass up.
I started classes in the summer of 1993.  My first class was Golf.     I figured that shouldn't be too hard and would fulfill my physical education requirement.     I have never liked sports or physical activity, so I wanted to get these classes over with as soon as possible.


In the fall of 1993, I started taking some of my pre-requisite courses.   I wanted to get a degree in Business, so took classes geared in that direction.    I did very well at MCC.  My GPA was 3.7, which was excellent. 


My Grandma Gonyo told me I should try and take the English class that her friend, Mary Hartman, taught, so I signed up.   I loved Mary.  She was so good with the students.   Mary said she enjoyed my writing, which is something I absolutely enjoy.   I am thankful I was able to have Mary Hartman as a teacher before she retired.


I continued to work at Plumb's Valu-Rite foods in the delicatessan through college, which gave me some extra money.      


I met some wonderful people at MCC, too.  I took Spanish 1 and 2 and met Anna Marie Muirhead (now called Anna Marie Martinez).    She lived in Holland and had a 4 yr old son, who was adorable.    I visited her quite often in Holland.    


I graduated in April 1995, with an Associates Degree in Business.    I went to the graduation ceremony with my grandparents and my mother.    I worked very hard those two years at MCC, so I could get into Western Michigan and finish my bachelor's degree.

August 6-8, 1993: Annual Camping Trip

I left in the morning for Benzonia, MI which was near Traverse City.    I stayed with the Gonyos, Klees, and Lawvers at the Vacation Trailer Park off of US 31.   Our lots were 90, 91, and 92.    On Friday afternoon, we went to Traverse City to Cherryland Mall.   We listened to Cheech and Chong on the way back to the campsite.  

Adam was looking for a wire for the grill. They didn't have one in the campground store, so we hopped the fence and went across the street to this store.

Played baseball with Adam with a broom and beer can.    Adam was letting gas alot as he had eaten so many cherries. It was so funny.

On Saturday,  we did water aerobics in the pool, using filled milk jugs.  

Then, we took Crystal Lake Rd to Lake Michigan.   I went swimming with them all.    Jase and Adam were looking for Petoskey stones.   Jo told me she has had diabetes since she was 22 yrs old.    She said that birth control had triggered the symptoms.  

Chad was going to Michigan State University in the fall, but didn't know what he wanted to get his degree in.     Rode back with the Lawvers. We listened to the Cheech and Chong tape which was so funny.   After dinner, we went miniature golfing at Crystal Falls Miniature Golf Course.  Jase taught me the right way to hold a golf club.   I got a hole in one.   

On Sunday, we had a big breakfast.   We went to the lighthouse in Benzonia.  It was built around 1853.  

July 1, 1993: Paul Patterson's Injury

The neighborhood kids used to always come to my house to hang out, as I always found fun activities to do like golf, riding bikes, getting ice cream, etc.     You could also call me the Big Kid on the Block.   
With permission from the parents, I took Jeff, Jason (neighbors of Matthews), Matthew, and Paul to D&B Golf Range in Fruitport to practice our golf swings.     Paul could hit golf balls 150 yards.    He was 12 yrs old on April 6th.   He accidentally stood behind Jason who was going to swing the golf club to hit the ball.    Paul ended up getting hit on the left side of his head with the club.   He fell to the ground and blood came oozing out in buckets out of his head. I raced to get help.  The ambulance was called.
I called Mrs. Patterson to let her know what happened. I was so scared to call her.    

He ended up being ok.   He kept worrying about the blood ruining his baseball hat he liked.   He had 2 staples put in his head.    He even played his championship baseball game later that day and won.   

June 13, 1993 - June 26, 1993: Trip out West

June 13, 1993:   Minneapolis, MN

We left for Minneapolis, MN.   It took us 12 hours to get to Fred & Janice Soop's house.   On the way, we stopped at a cheese store in Wisconsin and then at the A and W Rootbeer.    I did the driving over the Mississippi River.    We got to 4300 Brookview in Burnsville, MN around 8:30 p.m.

June 14, 1993:   Mall of America

Fred  and Janice took us to the Mall of America which had 400 stores.    We walked through Camp Snoopy and had lunch at the 50s/60s diner, Boogies.       We went through an area that had train models, as that was one of Fred's hobbies.    

June 15, 1993:   Downtown Minneapolis

The Soops took us into downtown Minneapolis to walk around the skyways that connected all of the buildings.  I think this concept would be great for all downtown buildings in the colder climates.
I went down the same escalator in the IDS building as Mary Tyler Moore did in the beginning of the Mary Tyler Moore Show.   Then, we went shopping at the Target store in the Burnsville Mall.

June 16, 1993:   South Dakota

Took 90 West to Rapid City, South Dakota.  We stopped at a ghost town along the way.    Stopped in Dsmet, South Dakota where Laura Ingalls lived as a child.   Drove to Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota.    I drove through the Badlands.  We got there at sundown, so we only saw about 20 minutes of it.   A thunderstorm had started.   It was scary driving in the dark along the edge of the cliffs.    Visited Wall Drug in Wall, South Dakota.   The shops were really neat with little figure people outside. It looked like a little main street in Europe.  Stayed in Rapid City for the night.

June 17, 1993:  Mount Rushmore

It was quite cloudy and misty, so we couldn't see Mount Rushmore that well.   Saw the President's sculptures.   The Black Hills were like nothing I had ever seen in my life.       Then, we went to Deadwood, South Dakota.   We got to ride in a limosine to one of the casinos.    I felt like I was in an old west town with all of the casinos and narrow streets.

June 18, 1993:  Yellowstone

Had breakfast at Perkins in Gillete.   I drove through a tunnel and around Bighorn Mountains.    In Bighorn National Park, we heard that Gillete had a tornado warning just about 1 1/2 hours after we had been there.   It was pretty foggy, which made driving treacherous.  We stayed in a cabin at Lake Lodge.   Saw some buffaloes along the road on our drive.

June 19, 1993:  Yellowstone

Took a tour of the Lower Loop in Yellowstone National Park.   We sat next to a family from Ohio. They were called the Amazing Glen Family because one of the kids did a magic trick with the bus driver.    Saw Old Faithful, Old Faithful Inn, geysers, hot springs, and the Continental Divide.
We saw elk, moose, and bison.   Our tour guide was Jim Brehms.    

Tonight, we stayed in Grant Village. It's very modern, but cheaply made.  You can hear every noise through those walls.     Had dinner at a steakhouse.

June 20, 1993:  Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Left Yellowstone National Park and drove through the Grand Tetons.   We stayed at the Golden Eagle Motor Inn on Broadway Ave. in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  We made reservations for white river rafting.   At night, we went in a covered wagon and had a delicious meal.  The guy who drove ours was from Utah.   

June 21, 1993:  White River Rafting

Today, we went white river rafting in Jackson Hole.   We wore plastic pants and jackets and still got soaking wet.  Our group was alot of fun.   It rained and thundered while we were on the ride.   Mom fell off her seat alot while we were going through the rapids.     Then, we had a buffalo burger at Jedediahs.   

June 22, 1993:  Estes Park, Colorado

We drove to Estes Park, Colorado.   We stayed at the Comfort Inn in Estes Park.     Enjoyed looking around the shops.

June 23, 1993:  Estes Park, Colorado

Went on the Wilderness Tour on an old army truck.   The ride went through the Rocky Mountains.   I swear it had to be one of the bumpiest roads in America.   Toured the Stanley Hotel, which was based in one of Stephen King's novels.     Stephen King stayed at this hotel.      Then, we went on an aerial tram.  

June 24, 1993:   Nebraska and Iowa

Stayed at the Best Western in Council Bluffs, Iowa.   Called Skip's parents in Omaha, Nebraska.    Adam was visiting his grandmother.     His uncle had a farm in Friend, Nebraska.    He said they went to Women Lake, Minnesota in the summer, too.   That was a 16 hour drive from Milan, Michigan.   Mrs. Lawver said it was 225 miles to Ottumwa, Iowa. 

June 25, 1993:  Rosie's Big Food Diner in Eldon, Iowa

Continued on I-80 east to Ottumwa and Eldon, Iowa.    We ate at Roseanne and Tom Arnold's diner called "Rosie's Big Food Diner".    On the way out of the bathroom, I went through the kitchen and saw their phone number posted on the wall.   I wish I had written it down.    No one in town would tell us where they were building their big mansion, so we drove down many of the roads and finally found their guest house.     We stayed the night in Illinois.

June 26, 1993:  Homeward Bound

We got back to Grand Haven and had to wait for the bridge.    We put on about 4,000 miles on the Ford Tempo on this trip.  Overall, it was an excellent trip. We saw so many things.  It was definitely a trip that every child should have the opportunity to go on.

June 12, 1993: My Open House

Matthew came over and helped us tie the three balloons to the sand bags in fancy paper.    After that, Matthew and I went to Sue's open house and helped set up tables and chairs.  

Went back to my house and got dressed for my open house. I wore a light green dress with white polka dots.    Charlene and Steve came early to help decorate.  

Guest included:   Gonyos, Sheri Goodhue, Charlene & Steve, Valerie, Karen Daly, Grandpa and Grandma Thomas, Grandpa and Grandma Gonyo, Maxine, Diann & Pete, Lorraine and Christi,  Debbie & Stacy, Sue, Mrs. Arnouts, Ashley, Tillie, Kara, Lucy and Larry Filius, Dykemas, Connie & Kim Daugherty, Elsie, June, Irene Anderson, Jake Messinger, Ann Tyler, Helen Musselman, Meghan and Mrs. Piersma, Mr. Hesling, Anne Kulikowski, Wysozans, Zimmers, Ernie & Karen Simons, Andrea Erwin, and Matt Johnson.

Eric Anderson had his open house the same day.   Our food was catered by Tudor Catering.    We had pasta salad, turkey and ham sandwiches, baked beans, pop, coffee, punch, and cake.  I got the cake from Goobers Bakery.

June 2, 1993: Commencement Day

I got up at 7:30 a.m. and took mom to work.    Voted yes for Proposal A for 6% sales tax used for schools and the extra 2% would go towards the students in every school district ($4800 per student).    Then, went to Great Lakes Ford to look at cars. All of them were over $10,000.  

Sue picked me up at 12:15 to go to our rehearsal for commencement at LC Walker Arena.   I sat next to Jennifer Geiger and Stacy Gosma.   

When I got home, I saw that Jeff had taken down Eric and Matthew's swing set that had been up for 16 years.    

Sue picked me up at 7 for our Commencement ceremony.    We got our caps and gowns on.    I walked with Chris Gerling to our chairs.     I was so nervous as I walked on stage to get my high school diploma.  

Jayme Whitby, Sarah Meisch, and Meghan Houle gave good speeches.  They said to work hard and that effort always brings a reward for it.  Also, don't ever think your goals can't be met, because they can.   It doesn't matter how smart you are, how your grades are, but what does matter is how you apply the things you know throughout your life.    Each one of us shapes the way we are and helps us throughout life.

Mom, Grandpa and Grandma Gonyo, and Grandpa and Grandma Thomas came to the ceremony.    Andrea Erwin and Jessica Walsh screamed my name when I walked across the stage to get my diploma. 

I got a big hug from Chris Papp after the ceremony.  Cate Freisleben came up to me and hugged me, along with Matt Johnson, Cheli Sibley, Sue Arnouts, Bob Hunt, and Jenni Krybez.   

Our class gift was money for an endowment.